Shaft seal



March 28, 195@l l L D, ALWAR@ 2,501,984 l SHAFT SEAL Filed ug. 6, 3.94.7

Patented Mar. 28, 1950 SHAFT SEAL Leroy D. Alward, Albany, Calif., assignmto The Pelton Water Wheel Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application August 6, 1947, Serial No. 766,752

Claims. 1

property be unrestricted so that undue friction Y does not develop. Furthermore, it is advisable that allowance be made for errors and discrepancies in manufacture and deviations developing in operation since various'minor irregularities have been found to cause serious deficiencies in some otherwise satisfactorysealing devices. It is also advisable to have a structure relatively easy and economical to manufacture and with a relatively long life so as to require replacement only infrequently. The seal should be axially flexible to move freely as temperature changes expand or contract the shaft or as pressure changes expand or contract the casing in an axial direction.

It is to accomplish these various ends and to provide an improved shaft seal that I have made my present invention. Other objects, together Vwith the foregoing, are attained in my shaft seal one form of Which is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a cross section on a transverse axial plane of a shaft seal constructed in accordance with my invention and disposed in a typical environment.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 1 but showing a portion of my shaft seal to an enlarged scale.

While the environment in which my shaft seal is utilized may vary substantially, in a. typical instance it is utilized in connection with a casingr 6 or housing on one side exposed to the atmosphere and on the other side defining a chamber 1 in which the pressure is the same as or different from atmospheric. In the present instance it is assumed that the pressure within the chamber 1 is above atmospheric pressure. The casing 6 is contoured to provide aseat 8 for an anti-friction bearing 9 constituting a journal support for a re1- atively rotating member I0 such as a shaft. The shaft is provided with additional bearing support I I within the housing 6 and rotates with respect to the housing about an axis I2.

In accordance with the invention, the housing 6 is provided with a counterbore I3 in which a (Cl. IESS-11.15)

seal seat or wearing ring I 4 is disposed. An annulus I6 preferably confines the seat I4 against axial and rotational movement and is held in position by removable fastenings I1 engaging the housing 6. The seat I4 does not quite touch the shaft I2. It is provided with a planar outer face I8 disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis I2 thus constituting a transverse contacting area. Due to slight inaccuracies in manufacture, or in the bearing 9, or due to deflections during operation it may be that the planar surface is itself disposed not quite perpendicular to the axis I2 although a substantial perpendicularity is illustrated.

To cooperate with the surface I8 there is provided a suitable anti-friction surface 2| on the exposed area of an anti-friction insert 22 at one end of a spool 23, The surface 2| is machined to match as closely as possible the surface I8. Since it moves or rotates relative thereto the anti-friction material reduces the drag substantially. In order that the surfaces 2I and I8 can contact accurately, despite inaccuracies in manufacture or in operation, the spool 23 although encompassing the shaft I0 does not in any way abut or contact or touch the shaft. Rather, it is of a size so that a clearance 24 of substantial magnitude exists between the spool and the shaft.

To support the spool in a position spaced from but nevertheless substantially co-axial with the shaft, I interpose between the spool andan exterlor circular cylindrical portion 26 of the shaft one or more rings 21. Each of the rings is prefei'ably fabricated of a resilient or deformable or elastic material unaffected by any lubricant or gas which may be Within the chamber 1 .and which does not, over a period of time, have any tendency to cement itself either to the shaft or to the spool. A suitable substance is rubber, either natural or synthetic, or a comparable plastic. In its normal, free state, the ring 21 is a circle in cross section and is annular in form being a torus in configuration. It is, however, of slightly smaller interior diameter than the cylindrical portion 26 of the shaft I0. When it is slipped upon the shaft, the ring is deformed or distorted substantially as shown in Figure 2 to have a relatively large area of contact with the shaft. Due to its elasticity,the ring grips the shaft tightly enough so that the ring frictionally turns with the shaft, being effective to transmit a substantial amount of rotational power or force.

Preferably a plurality of the rings 21 are disposed around the shaft I0 and are also confined within an interior cylindrical surface 28 Within the spool. The surface 28 is of an internal diameter somewhat less than the free external diameter of the rings 21. In this way the rings are also exteriorly deformed to transmit a substantial rotational force to or from the spool. Thus the spool is carried or supported by the shaft through the rings only. The axis of the spool, while normally coincident with the axis I2, is freely displaceable within relative wide limits either way from the axis I2 or can be tilted or cocked with respect to such axis. Hence the body of the spool occupies a position determined by the abutment of the surfaces I8 and 2I and not by the external surface 26 of the shaft I0. The frictional engagement of the rings is such that normally the spool turns in unison with the shaft I0, although a severe overload causes slippage rather than breakage.

To confine the rings axially, the surface 28 is interrupted periodically and internal grooves are defined by internal flanges 29 extending radially inwardly of the spool but stopping short of abutment with the shaft to leave substantial clearance. The axial width of each groove is greater than that of its ring to provide some axial freedom by rolling rather than sliding of the ring.

In order that the surfaces I8 and 2I will bo held in abutment with appropriate pressure to maintain a'seal between the chamber I and the surrounding atmosphere to supplement the internal pressure and even though the external pressure may be somewhat higher, I provide a coil spring 3l. This encompasses the spool, at one end abutting a washer 32 forced against a shoulder 33 0n the shaft I0 and at the other end abutting a shoulder 34 extending around the periphery of the spool. When the pressure in the chamber is greater than outside, it assists the spring in urging the surfaces I8 and 2l together, while when the outside pressure is equal or greater the spring resists it to the limit of its ability and still urges the surfaces i8 and 2! together.

The deformability and frictional characteristics of the rings 28 are such that the surfaces I8 and 2l can be moved axially apart by temperature variations in the shaft, by chamber pressure changes, by external force on the spring 3l and other ways, thus avoiding seizing and damage. The spool, in normal operation is urged axially along the shaft toward the exterior by the expansion of the spring 3| assisted by favorable chamber pressure so that the desired frictional load is imposed upon the surfaces I3 and 2I to preclude substantial leakage therebetween. As part of the axial spool motion to accommodate minor irregularities, the rings 2 or at least the upstream ring 2l, are urged by the difference between chamber and exterior pressure to crowd tightly against the downstream wall of the flanges 29, thus blocking flow. The only other path for leakage from the interior to the exterior or vice versa is between the shaft ID and the spool and this leakage path is also completely closed or blocked or sealed by the deformable ring or rings 21. Thus a low friction, tightly contacting, yieldably mounted and axially flexible seal is provided.

I claim:

1v. A shaft seal comprising a fixed member, a rotary member, said fixed member having a transverse planar face, a spool encompassing and spaced from said rotary member with substantial radial clearance therebetween and having a transverse planar face, a spring engaging said rotary member and said spool for urging said planar faces into abutment, and a plurality of axially spaced deformable rings between and in contact with said rotary member and said spool for frictionally transmitting rotational force therebetween.

2. A shaft seal comprising a fixed member having a transverse planar face, a rotary member disposed to rotate about an axis perpendicular to said planar face and having an exterior cylindrical surface, a plurality of deformable axially spaced resilient rings frictionally gripping said surface, a spool encompassing and spaced from said rotary member with substantial radial clearance therebetween and having an interior cylindrical surface frictionally gripping said rings, said spool being supported on said rotary member solely by said rings and having a transverse planar face, and a spring for urging said spool axially of said rotary member with said planar faces in abutment.

3. A shaft seal comprising a fixed member hav ing a bearing face thereon, a relatively rotating shaft adjacent said fixed member, a cylindrical spool encompassing but spaced from said shaft, said spool having a face adapted to abut said bearing face and having a plurality of internal flanges defining a plurality of axially spaced internal grooves, means for pressing said spool toward said fixed member with said faces in abutment, and a plurality of resilient rings in tight radial engagement with said shaft and said spool and each disposed with axial space in one of said grooves.

4. A shaft seal comprising: a fixed member, a rotary shaft journalled thereon, said xed member having a transverse planar face surrounding said shaft, a generaly cylindrical spool having an axial bore surrounding said shaft with substantial radial clearance therebetween, said spool having a transverse planar face at one end thereof and a plurality of axially spaced, in-

,- wardly facing annular grooves in said bore, a

deformable ring in each groove held under radial compression between said spool and said shaft, and resilient means urging said spool axially of said shaft to hold said planar faces in pressure Contact.

5. A shaft seal as defined in claim 3 wherein said deformable rings are normally of torio configuration and wherein the axial width of each of said grooves is greater than the corresponding dimension of the radially compressed rings therein.

LEROY D. ALWARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following .references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 750,090 Coleman Jan. 19, 1904 2,148,093 Wheeler Feb. 21, 1939 2,411,509 Endebak Nov. 26, 1946 2,429,953 Bottomley Oct. 28, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,170 Australia of 1928 

